S
ince the appearance of the 1st edition of Plant
Pathology in June 1969, tremendous advances have
been made both in the science of plant pathology
and in the publishing business. New information pub-
lished in the monthly plant pathological and related
biological journals, as well as in specialized books and
annual reviews, was digested and pertinent portions of
it were included in each new edition of the book. The
worldwide use of the book, in English or in its several
translations, also created a need to describe additional
diseases affecting crops important to different parts of
the world. There has been, therefore, a continuous need
to add at least some additional text and more illustra-
tions to the book with as little increase in the size of the
book as possible. Fortunately, through the use of com-
puters, tremendous advances have been made in the
publishing business, including paper quality and labor
costs and, particularly, in the reproducibility and afford-
ability of color photographs and diagrams. Plant dis-
eases and plant pathology come alive when illustrated
in full color and it has been the author’s dream to have
all the figures in color. Add to these advances the inter-
est of the author and of the publishers to spare no effort
or expense in the production of this book and you have
what we believe is the best book possible for the effec-
tive teaching of plant pathology at today’s college level
worldwide.